Microfluidics involves micro-scale devices that handle small volumes of fluids. Because microfluidics can accurately and reproducibly control and dispense small fluid volumes, in particular volumes less than 1 μl, application of microfluidics provides significant cost-savings. The use of microfluidics technology reduces cycle times, shortens time-to-results, and increases throughput. Furthermore, incorporation of microfluidics technology enhances system integration and automation.
Given the small dimensions of microfluidic devices or components thereof, these devices involve construction and design that differs from macro-scale devices. Simple scaling down in size of conventional scale devices to a microfluidic scale is not a design option. For example, liquid flow in microfluidic devices differs from that of macro-scale size devices. Because liquid flow tends to be laminar, surface flux and surface tension start to dominate and as a result, effects not seen at the macro level become significant at the microfluidic level. Other differences at the microfluidic level include faster thermal diffusion, predominately laminar flow, and surface forces that are responsible for capillary phenomena.
There is an unmet need for improved microfluidic devices and systems and methods of generating microfluidic samples.